Belgium confidently defeated New Zealand 5-1 in the third round of Group D of the 2026 World Cup and thus secured first place in the group. After the match, Belgium coach Rudi Garcia expressed satisfaction with the team's performance after poor performances in the first two matches, but sharply criticized those who called his experienced players 'has-been' (outdated, outdated).
"Efficiency was key in our game today, it determined the result," Garcia said. "We may have had the same number or even fewer scoring opportunities than in the matches against Iran and Egypt, but this time we took advantage of them. I want to congratulate my players for remaining calm on the pitch. I had confidence in them, especially my leaders."
Garcia also addressed the criticism leveled at his experienced players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Leandro Trossard.
"I have to say it clearly: I didn't like the fact that they were called has-beens. If you have players of the caliber of De Bruyne or Lukaku in a given country, you have to support them. And today they proved that they can still give a lot. Trossard scored two goals, De Bruyne scored one goal and had an assist, and Lukaku scored one goal. And that's what these players wanted to prove that they can still play at a high level," said the coach.
Garcia also appreciated the attitude of Trossard, who in his opinion is underrated in the national team.
"I think that Trossard is not appreciated enough when it comes to playing for the national team. He has been playing the best of our players since the beginning of this tournament. Before the match, I asked him to be more decisive, to shoot more often on goal because he can score goals. And today he showed it," added Garcia.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois noticed that the team was finally starting to capitalize on the scoring opportunities created.
"I wouldn't say that we played badly in the previous matches, we just couldn't score goals. And today, our opponent, who played very offensively, allowed us to perform better and create more goal opportunities," said Courtois.
Kevin De Bruyne, who scored in today's match, was also pleased with the result, but was more focused on what awaits the team in the knockout stages.
"We are happy because after two matches we weren't doing very well. But we can be happy with the results of the second and third matches because we are first in the group and we play in Seattle in the first round of the cups, which is a better option for us," said De Bruyne.
The Belgians will play against Mexico in the 1/8 finals.
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